Women's Tennis Headline

Saturday February 23, 2013Florida and Stanford Battle in Women's Tennis on Sunday at the Ring Tennis Complex, 11 a.m. ET

Sunday
is a day that Gator tennis fans have circled on their calendars for a while, as
Florida welcomes Stanford to the Ring Tennis Complex, with first serve
scheduled for 11 a.m.

The
last time the two powerhouse programs scheduled a regular-season matchup in
Gainesville was 20 years ago and the second-ranked Gators upended the
then-top-ranked Cardinal, 5-1, on March 24, 1993. The last time Stanford
visited Gainesville and played Florida was on May 18, 2003, when the two
programs met in the NCAA Championship final, with the Gators taking the 4-3
decision to win its fourth of six national championships.

Florida
and Stanford both are coming off wins against No. 18 Clemson, with the Gators
taking the 6-1 win on Friday and the Cardinal, 5-2, on Saturday in Gainesville.

“Stanford
is a phenomenal opponent, we have great history with them. I’m hoping that the
two teams can produce a product that is great to watch,” said UF head coach Roland
Thornqvist, who has guided the Gators to the 2003, 2011 and 2012 NCAA Team
Championships. “They are really talented; they have a player like Stacey Tan
playing the number five position in their lineup and she’s two years removed
from reaching the final of the NCAA Singles Championships. Their lineup gets tougher
at the top, too. We’re going to have our hands full on Sunday, no question
about it.”

The
two schools boast the two most successful women’s tennis program in NCAA
history and have combine to win 22 NCAA Team Championships, with Stanford
claiming 16 and Florida six.

“It
think it’s great for college tennis that we’re able to play during the regular
season,” Thornqvist said. “The history of our two programs going back and forth
is what makes it so special and I’m hoping we’ll have a huge crowd behind us
tomorrow.”

Stanford
leads the all-time series against Florida, 17-12, with the Gators holding the
3-2 edge in matches held in Gainesville.

In
fact, of the 28 prior meetings between the two schools, last year’s planned
regular-season meeting on February 12, 2012, in Stanford, Calif. (that Stanford
won 4-2), was just the third time ever Florida and Stanford played a
regular-season, non-tournament match. The first contest was on March 31, 1989,
also in Gainesville, where the top-ranked Cardinal prevailed 5-4 against the
second-ranked Gators.

Two
of the last three NCAA Championship final matches featured the Gators against
the Cardinal, with Stanford winning 4-3 in 2010 and Florida earning the 4-3
decision in Palo Alto for the 2011 national championship and halted the
Cardinal’s NCAA record 184-match home winning streak that spanned from
1999-2011.

Stanford
also leads the series when meeting NCAA Championships action, where the
Cardinal hold the 9-3 advantage over the Gators, including a 6-3 edge in the
final.

Florida
is 4-0 at home this season and has extended its overall program-record home
winning streak of 111, which includes 19 wins in postseason play (SEC and NCAA
Tournament). The Gators set a new standard with their 6-1 victory over
Mississippi State on March 29, 2009, passing the previous record of 60. The
last time the Gators fell at home was on May 15, 2004, in the second round of
the NCAA Tournament to Miami (Fla.), 4-3.

The
111-match home winning streak is the longest active streak of any NCAA Division
I women’s team in any sport. Only the Ohio State’s men’s tennis team sports a
longer active home win streak of 157.

“The
crowd is a big reason why we have the home win streak that we do,” Thornqvist
shared. “The bigger the crowd, the better we play. We’re a very competitive
team, we always have been. We’re fit and I’d like to see great life and
hopefully that can get the crowd into the match.

“Our
ultimate goal is the SEC and NCAA Championship and tomorrow’s match is seeing
what it is we need to improve upon to have our best chances at the end,”
Thornqvist continued. “I think we’re playing well, we’re getting better. There
are things we can improve on; it is February after all and we do have two
freshmen in the lineup. With time and practice and a little more experience
we’re going to get better every month.”

Sunday’s
match also marks the debut of the USTA’s “College MatchDay,” a series that will
spotlight men’s and women’s college tennis.

The
USTA is giving out hats to the first 200 kids in attendance, while the UAA will
be providing free “BEAT STANFORD” t-shirts to the first 500 fans. Prior to the
match, kids can participate in the Kid’s Korner for poster making, coloring,
meet Alberta and receive Gator head tattoos from the Dazzlers. There also will
be a post-match meet and greet with the Gator team.

Ken
Thomas will broadcast each College MatchDay on RadioTennis.com.

This
season, College MatchDay will also visit Charlottesville, Va., when the
University of Virginia men host Duke University on March 22. College MatchDay
will feature a team match every week beginning in 2014.